Before the 2022 Major League Baseball season started, many thought the Red Sox -- specifically the offense -- would be a threat. Or at least more of a threat than it has been.
But that hasn't been the case.
Xander Bogaerts has been dealing with an injury since May, J.D. Martinez hasn't been the home run hitter he's been in the past and Trevor Story, who Boston signed in the offseason, missed a month with a hairline fracture in his wrist.
The offense has been so stagnant that when Story returned to the lineup he still was second on the Red Sox in home runs and RBIs.
It's not just the offense, though. The bullpen has struggled mightily and even the starters have struggled to find a groove at times. Then there's the injury bug that never left Boston alone this season between Chris Sale, Nate Eovaldi, Rich Hill, Rafael Devers, Tanner Houck among many others spending time on the injured list. The defense also has been tough to watch with struggles at first base and two mental errors in Monday's loss to the Minnesota Twins.
To say this season has not unfolded the way the Red Sox would have liked is an understatement. They're eight games back of an American League wild-card spot and now have decisions to make about who they will recall for September call-ups.
But with a month-plus remaining on the 2022 schedule, Red Sox CEO Sam Kennedy knows he, and the rest of the front office, need to own the criticism thrown their way.
"We're all incredibly disappointed in how the season has unfolded. It's certainly not where we thought we would be when we came into camp," Kennedy told The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal. "We had a magical 2021 year where we were two games from the World Series. We went out and added to what was an incredibly talented group with Trevor Story. We were very optimistic about our chances and where we were headed and incredibly excited that our baseball operations group had just done a fantastic job of building for the future at the same time.
"To be looking up at the American League East at this point of the year is painful and frustrating. And frankly we deserve the criticism we're getting. We've got to own that. It's on us. But we've been around here a long time and we're prepared to turn things around quickly here as we head into '23."
The future certainly is bright for the Red Sox, especially with Triston Casas knocking on the door of his MLB debut, but the 2022 Red Sox are, and should be better than what they've shown this year on the field and at the plate.
Down years and injuries happen to everyone, but maybe 2022 will be a learning experience for the Red Sox and they can go into 2023 better prepared than this season.
